


Hue-and-Cry

by OvvCheck



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dishonored inspired this idk how, F/F, M/M, am not good at english punctuation help would be appreciated, enjoy some genre conventionalities, this is for a friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26044663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OvvCheck/pseuds/OvvCheck
Summary: While (not really) trying to arrest the most wanted criminal in the city, Barnaby manages to make friends, annoy everyone, including his assistant and find many reasons to agree with the Bandit himself.Also contains important side-storylines, such as: assistant visiting his family and flower lady helping a friend to recover after an abusive marriage.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character





	Hue-and-Cry

**Author's Note:**

> These chapters may or may not contain illustrations, depending on my mood and energy. If it is possible, i will also add illustrations later.  
> Anyway, this whole thing happened after one dream, my brain was heavily affected by Dishonored and here we are. Not really DH-like but whatever.  
> Will there be magic? A Void? An Outsied(if you know, you know)? We will see, hell if i know.

Out of all things Henry could not imagine himself doing this morning, crawling through the sewers on all fours was probably the first one. Out of all things he couldn’t imagine himself doing when he considered becoming private detective’s assistant, it was not the first one, but it was very close to that. Barnaby, the Detective himself, had a strange reputation. Nobody wanted to work with him, even though everyone admired his professional skills and something they called “honesty” in a very questionable tone. Henry couldn’t think of a better man to work with. He realized his mistake quite quickly.

Barnaby was not only “honest”, he was terribly straightforward (and it was probably the only “straight” in his whole persona), annoyingly outspoken and incredibly clingy. Nobody in the entire Yard would stay in the same room with him longer than necessary. He was great for private investigations, the ones that did not involve any policemen until the very last minute, though. He would obviously contact them when he had to, but most of the time Detective would work alone. Then Henry came along and it’s been a few years since that moment, and he still hadn’t left. Despite the fact that he had lost his faith in dark and romantic mystery novels on his first week.

The main reason he stayed was that without him Barnaby would probably get himself killed. Assistant had absolutely no idea how this man-shaped annoyance managed to last that long, but he wasn’t gonna live much longer like that. His hobby was getting himself in all sorts of trouble, for example, this morning he all of a sudden proclaimed that he had figured out how to get right to the Bandit’s hideaway. Apparently, a hidden tunnel led to wherever his Gang lived. And apparently they were going to check it this exact day. Just the two of them.

Because what could be better than getting both of them killed by crawling through what looked like a suspiciously clean version of the sewers right to the base of the most wanted man in the city. Sure thing, it was safe to face the leader of the gang that robbed several bank vaults and stole from the most rich noblemen and women without setting a single alarm off (except for one time which was very impressive considering how much noble people like their money) _on his territory!_ They were going to be fine! Because the fact that Barnaby met him a few times before and the Bandit managed to get away could only mean that things were going to be alright this time!

“I can almost hear you panicking, my friend” the Detective said without even turning his head.

“If this helps, I am armed and prepared to fight if necessary”

“Thanks a lot, Chief” he snarled. “What are you armed with?”

“A gun. And I know how to box. We’ll be safe and sound”

“ _Will we, though? Will we?”_

“Yes and if you could trust me for one more time I’d appreciate it very much” said Detective with a slight hint of irritation in his voice.

“You’re getting us killed” sighed Henry, slowly starting to accept his fate.

“Now, if you listen to me and remember what I say we’ll have a much better chance at this” Barnaby seemed to ignore the last statement completely. “Remember, when we enter whatever place this tunnel leads to, make sure to check every dark corner without approaching it, then check the shortest way out, then check if there’s a water source”

Henry took some time to process that.

“Alright, the first two are understandable. But where did the water source come from?”

“I assume you heard of blopers?”

“Blopers? Really? I don’t want to upset you, Chief, but the last time I checked they were not real”

“They are, my friend. They very much are. A lot of people treat them as an urban legend, but they do live in catacombs and sewers. They cannot move, so they spray a toxic pollen and then drag the prey closer with a tongue. If you get sprayed, a lot of water is the only solution. And yes, they live in dark corners” he added as if this speech was fully believable and only that part could seem unrealistic.

“Seriously?” Henry sighed. “We’re assuming this is the way to the Bandit’s base and you’re worried about meeting a myth”

“And you didn’t have to follow me here with that attitude, my young friend” Barnaby rarely snapped, but when he did he usually did it in the most parental way.

“ _I am not letting you die alone and don’t talk to me like that!”_ Henry could barely fight the urge to turn back, but he was not going to leave this stubborn man down here alone.

“Well, I am not planning to die yet” Detective proclaimed with pride.

“Good for you, Chief”

They spent the rest of the way in total silence, which was to their own luck. Something far in the distance was making awfully loud rales.

“Alright, Chief, despite everything I said before, could a bloper sound like that?” Henry did not believe in urban legends but he was familiar with Detective’s ability to gather specific and obscure knowledge that had actually been the truth all along. Perhaps there were some strange animals in this place.

“No, but its prey could!” Henry almost growled as he heard the unlimited excitement in Barnaby’s voice. “We need to hurry though, the pollen is not deadly to humans, but whoever is in there, they can bust a lung from all that coughing”

They quickly made it to the end of the tunnel, which Henry considered very symbolic, and found an almost empty room with two people on the floor, coughing their lungs out with horrible wheezes.

“Quick!” Barnaby pointed at the nearest corner. “Get some water!”

Then he immediately rushed forward. Assistant followed him to what looked like some kind of a well, clean and almost without a familiar river smell. Was someone refilling it somehow and did that happen often? All of that rushed in his head as he picked up one of the buckets and almost threw it in the water. Detective already ran off with a full one and behind his back Henry heard a loud splashing noise. Then he finally turned around and returned to the figures on the floor. One was wet and both were still coughing.

“This one, this one is yours!” Barnaby pointed at the less heavy and square figure and ran back to the well.

Henry emptied his bucket and followed him. He stopped counting how many times they did it after the fourth one, but eventually the rales stopped. The floor was wet, their trousers were wet and so were their shoes. Two men standing on the floor on all fours were soaking wet as well. Somehow that made them more appealing.

“So…” Henry breathed. “What… what now?”

“Wait, let them rest” Barnaby waved at him.

That was almost awkward. They were just standing with buckets in their hands, while two figures were trying to figure out how to breathe. Then suddenly the sound of echoing footsteps came from somewhere, though Henry couldn’t tell which direction it came from. Looking around he realized that there was only one tunnel, much wider than what they just had to crawl through. A couple of swearings and a lot of shouting came from there and then three more men ran into the room, carrying crossbows. One was holding a gun.

“Ya got it?” The more massive man tried to get up from the floor, still slightly shaking. “The bloper. Did you guys get it?”

Everyone froze still for a moment, stunned by how casually he said it, then one of the newcomers replied.

“Yeah, Boss. It’s dead”

“Great news” he tired getting up once more, but his whole body wasn’t ready to stand yet. “Good job, all three of you. And you too”

Henry wouldn’t have realized he was talking to him and the Detective if not for Barnaby, who responded “At your service, my good man” and smiled like a dozen of suns.

“Who’s that? Do you know him?” one of the bandits suspiciously squinted at Barnaby.

“Yes. It’s the guy who’s supposed to arrest me” Bandit finally got up from the floor and stood there, almost threateningly if not for the water still dripping from him.

Detective seemed shocked, offended, even.

“You could’ve just said you know me from work!” he gasped.

In response Bandit just barked out a laughter and carefully gave his hand to the man on the floor.

“You alright, Pick?”

“Never better” even though his voice was hoarse, the gangster looked almost okay.

Henry took time to look around and decided to concentrate on the newcomers first. All three of them and the one on the floor looked almost completely identical. At the second glance, though, he noticed a certain lack of sideburns on the middle one. At the third glance he realized that it was, in fact, a woman.

_A woman?! The papers and posters didn’t say a darn thing about a woman!_

It wasn’t too surprising, considering that they only got noticed once, had their faces covered and quickly fought off the guard and ran off into the night. But a woman criminal in his mind was less of a bandit and more of a mastermind that never got her hands dirty, or at least used different, more subtle ways to harm people. He didn’t believe that the world of crime belonged to men only, it was such an old concept. And him and Detective had already arrested so many different individuals that he wasn’t probably supposed to feel that astonished, but Henry had to admit, he had never ever met a woman who was an ordinary gang member.

While he was analyzing the situation, Barnaby approached the Gang and its leader and started some kind of a friendly conversation. That was definitely not safe.

“Apologies for interrupting such a nice friendly meeting, but what are you doing?” he hissed, trying to drag Barnaby away. Didn’t work. The man was standing still, as if he got glued to the floor.

“I want to get some information about this place. I still can’t figure out where we are, but I assume it’s their hideout. So, gentlemen and…” he glanced at the only female bandit. She looked the most threatening, probably because out of them all it was her who was holding a gun. “Well, _gentlemen._ Would you give us a short tour, show us the place?”

“Ah, yes” Henry rubbed his face in despair. “You’re trying to get us murdered, I forgot”

The woman’s lip corners twitched upwards. The rest of the Gang seemed confused. The most wanted man in the city, who could have them killed right on spot, grinned.

“A’right, why not? Follow me, _gentlemen_ ”

The four deafening “What?”s echoed through the tunnel, the Bandit turned and stared the Gang down.

“Any objections, lads?”

“Yes, Boss, I very bloody much object!” exclaimed one of them with the most serious face.

“Objection rejected, Burr. Now let’s show our guests the place, don’t be rude” Henry couldn’t see his face, but was pretty sure the man was grinnig.

They followed the Gang into the tunnel and then up the ladder. The tunnel was just as clean as the one they came through. Perhaps it was used quite often. They were lucky not to meet any of the gangsters inside the narrow one. And above all of that was…

“An old whiskey factory?” Barnaby exclaimed. “ _This_ is where the tunnel leads to?”

The Bandit nodded and then immediately was grabbed by the sleeve by a blown-away Detective. Henry stood aside as he watched the two of them walk away. Bandit seemed suspiciously smug, not surprised or confused at all, even though he was just asked to show his base to an enemy, basically. Did he have something on his mind? He _must_ have. Henry made a decision to watch carefully and mind every single detail, but he quickly got distracted. The four bandits were standing only a few feet away from him, whispering to each other. They looked as unhappy with what was happening as he was.

“I don’t like that Detective” one of them muttered.

“Yeah, me too. He’s no good. Gonna get Boss in trouble” the other nodded in approval.

“We gotta get rid of him” the third one said with a determined look on his face. The sister nodded.

Henry did not liked that part at all. He was actually on their side, which made him feel really uneasy. They were not supposed to be here, Barnaby was going to get himself (or the Bandit, for that matter) in trouble for sure. But getting rid of him? Not on Assistant’s watch.

“Sure, just try it” he barked. “You try anything, and I’m getting the entire Yard here faster than you can scratch your nape!”

“Are you sure “nape” is the word?” the sister seemed very much amused. The brothers – slightly threatened. Henry turned red.

“Anyway, whatever the word is!..”

“Listen, pal” one of the brothers, the one who looked the most calm, raised his hands, not as if he was surrendering, but as a sign of not being a threat. “We can come to an agreement, you and us. We’re not fond of _this_ either”

He pointed into the room where Barnaby listened to some pretty loose retelling of the story of this place with great curiosity. Even from the back, he looked very interested, while the Bandit still looked incredibly smug. He was sure as all Hell proud of something.

“Then how about a deal” Henry realized that it was not a great idea to make a deal with a bunch of criminals, but now was too late. “I wait to see what he’s planning to do and don’t call the cops yet. You wait around and don’t touch a single hair on his head. At least while they’re busy doing whatever this is”

Four of them walked away to discuss that idea. Henry could still hear them, but sadly he did not hear anything useful, just a lot of arguing and a couple of very peculiar swearings he never heard before.

“A’right” one of them appeared right in front of him out of nowhere and made some kind of a gesture that was probably supposed to be an invitation to a handshake. “We agree. While these two are fooling around, we stay out of each other’s way. When the real work begins, can’t promise that”

The man grinned. There was something so strange about him, something that Henry couldn’t figure out but he felt it in his bones. Maybe that’s why they send him. Ha, if only he was that easy to scare.

“Good” he shook the hand of a criminal, thinking how this might go wrong and what to do in that case. “Deal”

They spent the next few hours waiting for their bosses to finish the tour, or at least be done with the first floor. Barnaby was clearly determined to get everything he could from this visit. Henry remembered how many times Detective told him that he “almost” caught the Bandit “again”. Was this planned or not? What was even happening? If what he said was true and they’d already met a few times then why was he still alive? And why did he not shoot that bastard?..

When the two of them finally approached the Gang and Henry, he got up, stretched his back a bit and sighed in relief.

“What now, Chief?”

“I think we’re done here. For today, that is” Barnaby added, turning to the Bandit. The man tipped his hat to the Detective. Henry didn’t even bother asking. He was done with this place, with these people, and most importantly with the implication of what did this all mean. He had some assumptions now that he ‘d seen Barnaby _winking_ at the Bandit as they spoke. A few times in the last few hours. Barnaby never winked at people. That got him thinking, way more than the fact that they’ve met before. Or perhaps just in a different direction and in a much bigger amount. The more he tried to curb his racing thoughts, the more of them appeared.

“Good God, that’s great news”

They finally left the old building. From the inside it looked fine, from the outside it was just another abandoned factory. There were a few of them in the city, always near the river. Just like this one.

“Well, all the best to you, gentlemen!” Barnaby tipped his hat with a smile. Henry suppressed a groan of deep emotional pain and tapped him on the shoulder as a sign of “let’s go already”.

As the two figures walked away from the factory, one of the brothers finally decided to ask.

“Hey, Boss? No offence, but what was _that_?”

“Yeah” his sister scratched her chin in confusion. “Why did you even let them in?”

The Bandit glanced at the smaller figure at the distance.

“I don’t know, guys” he laughed quietly. “Guess I just like that little man”

Four barely audible and perfectly synchronized “Noooo”s were the Gang’s answer to that. 

**Author's Note:**

> summary of the chapter:  
> \- they are gays, henry  
> \- the gang is trying to protect their daaaaad, aaawww  
> \- believe in urban legends for safety  
> \- oh look, a convenient well that's full of water


End file.
